Police Clearance Certificate (PCC)- All you need to know?

Your Query : What is Police clearance certificate (PCC)?

Indian Passport holders are issued with a Police Clearance Certificate in case they have applied for residential status, employment or long term visa or for immigration. Police clearance certificate is also known as Good Conduct Certificate, Good Citizen Certificate etc.

Your Query : Why PCC is required?

It is issued as a result of background check either by the police or the Government agency of a country to enlist any criminal record an applicant may have.

Your Query : What are documents needed for PCC Application?

Documents needed for PCC application request are:

Old passport in original with self-attested photocopy of its first two and last two pages including ECR/non-ECR page and page of observation.

Proof of present residential address (if changed).

Self-attested copy of Employment contract with foreign employer.

Copy of valid visa (in case visa is already obtained) along with official English translation if the visa is not in English.

Your Query : Costing associated with the application request.

There is an application fee associated with the application request which is 500/-(in India).

Your Query : How to Apply for PCC Application?

There are various websites which aid in providing PCC for example: http://www.fingerprintexpert.in/ . Here one can find PCC guidelines and application form request of different countries of the world.

Your Query : How to get the fingerprint check done?

Get the complete set of 10 fingerprints impressions done by a qualified fingerprint expert or visit http://www.fingerprintexpert.in/ . After which the originals of the fingerprints has to be posted with the complete application form.

Your Query : How long does it take?

These type of documents generally take a long time to get cleared. Therefore it is recommended to apply for one before submitting your application in the beginning itself.

After the completion of the process the PCC is posted to the address as provided by the applicant in the application form.

Your Query : Is every member of a family needs PCC?

Every country has different PCC related norms. An advice should be taken from the relevant embassy, high commission, consulate or any other related authority.

Your Query : How to check the application status?

One can either start a SMS service from the official website to get regular updates or can check the status on the website itself. In case of POLICE VERIFICATION VISITING one is informed via SMS.

Your Query : Is there a way to expedite the process?

There is a tatkal option for getting a passport but unfortunately there is no such option due to its elaborate verification procedure .However nowadays PCC is issued on the same day too ,”all the best”!🙂 .

Your Query : What implications does it cause to PCC of a person having a criminal/legal record?

Though every country has different guidelines to the above mentioned case however in general when a person has a criminal/legal record he or she is asked to pay a FINE corresponding to the type of crime after which PCC is issued (but the duration of issuance is quite long).

If a person has a serious criminal record then “Record found” will be mentioned along with the relevant section in the certificate (example: Drunk and drive).

Your Query : What if a person has a LOAN RECORD?

In this case the person is asked to clear the loan first after which only the PCC is issued.